The Return of Alice in Chains by Deirdre Jones

It’s a warm September night in San Francisco. Mingling with the likes of Machine Head, Death Angel and sundry Nor Cal Hells Angels, I was lucky enough to be on the guest list for the long awaited return of Alice In Chains. They were tight and well rehearsed, with spot-on vocal harmonies and the gigantic guitar tones you’d expect, and it sounded great to my blown out ears.

There were old favorites like Rooster and a few new tracks from the latest album Black Gives Way To Blue, plus a surprise acoustic set. With most bands, this is the part that leads me straight to the bar for a refill, but with AIC I was glued to the spot. In anticipation of my interview with Jerry Cantrell for an upcoming issue of GP, here’s a photo from the show--and a shot of the set list--courtesy of Scott Ferrera of EMG Pickups. —Deirdre Jones